CHAFING     DISH. 


COPPER   WORK 

A  Text  Book  for  Teachers  and  Students 

IN  THE 

Manual  Arts 

FULLY   ILLUSTRATED 


BY 
AUGUSTUS   F.   ROSE 

Providence  Technical  High  School  and 
Rhode  Island  School  of  Design 


THE  DAVIS  PRESS 

Worcester,  Massachusetts 

1906 


Copyrighted,   1906 
By  Augustus  F.  Rose 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


Chapter        I.  —  Introduction,  Equipment,  Materials  i 

Chapter      II.—  Problems,  Escutcheons  and  Hinge  Tail  13 

Chapter     III.  —  Drawer  and  Door  Pull  and  Hinge  20 

Chapter      IV.  —  Finger  Plates,  Pad  Corners,  Box 

Corners,  Stamp  Box  and  Match  Box  35 

Chapter       V.  —  Sconce,  Picture  Frame,  Soldering, 

Repousse  or  Embossing  53 

Chapter      VI.  —  Raised  Forms  67 

Chapter    VII.  —  Porringer,  Trays  or  Plates  78 

Chapter  VIII.—  Ink  Pot,  Sealing  Wax  Set  and  Watch 

Fobs  84 

Chapter     IX.  —  Spoons,  Sugar  Tongs  and  Tea  Scoops, 
Rivets,   Drawing    Wire    and    Tubing, 

Polishing,  Stamping  Work,  Coloring  95 

Chapter       X.  —  Enameling  104 


2066708 


PREFACE. 

IN  this  book  the  subject  of  Copper  Work,  as  it  may  be 
introduced  into  the  public  schools,  is  treated  to  the 
extent  of  specifying  an  equipment  and  suggesting  some  of 
the  possibilities  of  a  course.  Not  only  will  there  be  found 
an  abundance  of  illustrative  material  on  this  subject,  con- 
sisting of  drawings  and  photographs  of  various  objects 
executed  by  upper  grammar  and  high  school  pupils,  but  also 
a  detailed  description  of  the  processes  necessary  for  the 
execution  of  many  of  the  designs.  It  is  not  expected  that 
the  problems  as  given  will  be  slavishly  copied,  but  rather 
that  they  will  make  clear  the  methods  and  processes  that 
may  be  applied  in  the  working  out  of  similar  problems.  It 
is  hoped  that  this  volume  will  be  especially  helpful  to 
teachers  in  the  Manual  Arts  who  are  trying  to  introduce 
Metal  Work  into  the  regular  school  course. 

The  author  is  indebted  to  Charles  J.  Martin  and  Antonio 
Cirino,  for  valuable  assistance  in  making  some  of  the 
illustrations. 

AUGUSTUS  F.  ROSE. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PLATE. 

PLATE  PAGE 

1.  Anvils       -----------  5 

2.  Hammers       --------  -  7 

3.  Shears  and  Flyers      --------  8 

4.  Escutcheons  ----------  14 

5.  "  Photograph  -------  15 

6.  Hinge  Tails    -      -      -      -  -      -      -  17 

7.  "  -  18 

8.  "  ----------  19 

9.  Drawer  and  Door  Pulls    -------  21 

10.  "  "                   -------  22 

11.  "  "  23 

12.  "  "          Photograph    -            -      -  24 

13.  Hinges     --------  --30 

14-  "  3i 

15.  "        -----------  32 

16.  «  -  33 
17-  "                                                                           -  34 

18.  Fhiger  Plates       ---------  36 

19.  "  Photographs    ------  37 

20.  Pad  Corners         _-__--_--  39 

21.  Box  Corners         ---------  41 

22.  "  _____-_--  42 

23.  Stamp  Boxes       _---____-  44 

24.  "  _______  46 

25.  "  Cover  Designs        -----  47 

26.  "  Photograph      ------  49 

27.  Match  Boxes        ---------  51 

28.  "  Cover  Designs        -      -      -  52 

29.  Sconce  A        ____-__-_-  54 
29a.        "        Pattern        --------  55 

30.  Desk  Set.    Photograph    -------  56 

31.  Sconce  B       -  -      -  58 

32.  Picture  Frame      ---------  60 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS— (Continued). 

PLATE  PAGE 

33.  Picture  Frame  Designs     -------  62 

34.  Raised  Forms       ---------  68 

35.  "  Photograph            -      -      -      -      -  71 

36.  Pitchers          ----------  73 

37.  Tea  Set          ----------76 

38.  Pupils  at  Work.     Photograph      -----  77 

39.  Porringer       ----------  79 

40.  "        Handles     --------  80 

41.  "         Photograph      -------  82 

42.  Ink  Pot    -----------  85 

43.  "       Photograph  --------  86 

44.  _____  88 

45.  Sealing  Wax  Set         --------  90 

46.  Watch  Fobs  -      -      -  92 

47.  "         Photograph  -------  93 

48.  Spoons     -----------  96 

49.  Sugar  Tongs  and  Tea  Scoops       -----  97 

-      -       -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -  99 


FIGURES. 

FIGURE  PAGE 

1.  Annealing  Tray    ---------  3 

2.  Sawdust  Box  ----------  4 

3.  Saw  Frame     ----------  6 

4.  Sand  Bag  or  Engraver's  Pad     -----  6 

5.  Chasing  Tools       ---------  9 

6.  Engraving  Tools  ---------  9 

7.  Dapping  Tools  and  Die     -------  10 

8.  Sawing     -----------  13 

8a.  Sawing.    Photograph       -------  16 

9.  Draw  Pulls     ----------  20 

TO.                "          __________  20 

11.  "              ____--_---  20 

12.  "              -----------  25 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.— (Continued.) 


FIGURE 

13.     Draw  Pulls    -------- 

PAGE 

14. 

-            -              25 

i5a.              " 

-            -              26 

i5b.              «-__-____ 

-            -              26 

i5c,  d, 

26 

i  ^e                 " 

-            -              26 

i6a. 

27 

i6b.              " 

27 

i6c. 

-            -              27 

i6d.              " 

27 

i6e.              "          -      -      -  .  _ 

27 

18.     Stamp  Box    -------- 

43 

19. 

45 

20. 

-      -       45 

21.     Chasing.     Photograph      ----- 

-      -       66 

22.          "       Hammer 

66 

23.     Hammering.    Photograph      - 

69 

24.     Raised  Bowl,  First  step    ----- 

-      -       69 

25.     Surface  Plate.     Photograph   - 

-      -       72 

26.     Snarling  Iron 

74 

27.            "              in  use.    Photograph      -     - 

75 

28.     Soldering  Porringer    ------ 

78 

29.     Dapping  Tools  in  use       .-'-..- 

84 

30.     Drawing  Tubing  ----- 

-       IOO 

31                       "                 " 

O1- 

32.     Drawing  Wire.    Photograph  - 

23            CfoTTin 

101 

34.     Engraving.    Photograph  ----- 

105 

35.     Engraving      ......                   -      -      - 

-     107 

Chapter  I. 


INTRODUCTION. 

During  the  past  few  years  many  experiments  have 
been  tried  in  the  development  of  Manual  Training  Courses 
and  much  time  has  been  spent  hi  discussing  of  what  lines 
of  work  they  should  consist.  Wood  and  iron  were  the  first 
materials  used  and  are  yet  indispensable,  but  experience 
has  led  those  who  are  developing  this  work  to  believe  that 
there  are  other  materials  as  well  adapted  to  Manual  Train- 
ing work  in  all  its  various  forms.  Clay,  used  not  only  for 
modeling  but  for  ceramic  work  as  well,  leather,  brass  and 
copper  are  materials  that  have  also  been  put  to  the  test 
and  found  satisfactory  in  many  ways. 

In  ancient  times  copper  was  known  as  a  useful  metal, 
and  down  through  the  ages  it  not  only  held  its  own  but 
increased  hi  usefulness.  Among  its  valuable  properties  may 
be  mentioned  toughness  and  ductility ;  its  toughness  enables 
it  to  be  beaten  into  thin  strong  sheets,  while  its  ductility 
enables  it  to  be  drawn  out  into  fine  wire.  Copper  readily 
forms  important  alloys,  such  as  brass  from  copper  and 
zinc. 

Work  in  sheet  copper  and  brass  has  been  introduced  into 
the  public  school  course  with  gratifying  results.  It  has 
proved  itself  to  be  a  valuable  departure  from  other  branches 
of  Manual  Training  work  and  gives  promise  of  being  per- 
manent. Sheet,  copper  and  brass  offer  possibilities  for 
various  kinds  of  treatment,  either  in  the  flat  work  which 
includes  saw  piercing,  embossing  and  enameling,  or  in  the 
raised  work. 

There  is  something  about  this  work  that  appeals  to 
pupils  and  holds  their  interest.  The  nature  of  the  material, 
hard  enough  to  offer  some  resistance  and  yet  pliable  enough 
to  allow  its  being  wrought  into  many  forms,  the  durability 

ii 


of  the  object  when  completed,  and  the  variety  of  colors 
that  may  be  obtained,  especially  with  copper,  all  tend  to 
make  the  subject  not  only  interesting  but  fascinating. 

All  exercises  in  sheet  metal  should  be  of  some  real 
value  to  the  pupil;  no  time  should  be  spent  on  work  done 
simply  for  practice,  but  the  various  steps  should  be  learned 
in  the  making  of  useful  objects  of  artistic  worth.  In  this, 
as  in  other  work,  it  seems  best  to  give  each  member  of 
the  class  the  same  work  for  a  while  until  he  has  become 
acquainted  with  the  different  tools  and  learned  the  limita- 
tions of  the  material.  When  this  has  been  accomplished, 
each  pupil  may  be  allowed  to  work  out  his  own  designs. 
In  this  the  educational  value  is  very  greatly  increased.  The 
pupil  conceives  the  idea  and  makes  several  sketches  of  it, 
carrying  it  through  repeated  changes  until  it  is  brought  to 
the  perfected  design  appropriate  hi  every  way  to  the  idea. 
Some  may  not  be  fortunate  enough  to  get  a  full  equipment 
so  that  all  of  the  various  kinds  of  metal  work  may  be  done, 
but  such  may  be  able  to  make  a  beginning  by  doing  light 
work  in  saw  piercing,  which  requires  a  very  limited 
equipment. 


12 


EQUIPMENT. 

The  equipment  necessary  for  a  start  in  Copper  work 
need  cost  but  little  if  the  teacher  is  somewhat  ingenious, 
for  the  patterns  of  the  various  anvils  may  be  made  by  him ; 
from  these  patterns  the  castings  can  be  made  at  any 
foundry  for  three  or  four  cents  per  pound.  It  is  better  to 
begin  with  a  few  anvils  arid  tools  and  to  add  one  or  two  at 
a  time  as  the  need  is  felt  for  a  more  varied  supply.  If  the 
work  can  be  done  in  a  room  already  fitted  with  benches  and 
vises,  it  will  reduce  the  first  cost  considerably.  Any  home- 
made bench  will  do  if  a  regulation  one  is  not  to  be  had. 
One  that  has  given  satisfaction  was  made  of  2"  x  4"  stud- 
ding with  plank  tops  in  lengths  of  12  feet,  giving  space  for 


FIGURE  1, 

four  vises  at  each  bench.     A  swivel  vise  that  may  be  turned 
at  any  angle  will  be  found   satisfactory. 

An  annealing  tray  made  of  a  piece  of  sheet  iron  in  the 
shape  of  a  box  about  18"  square  and  3"  deep,  with  the  corners 
lapped  and  riveted  and  filled  with  slag,  answers  very  well, 
but  one  similar  to  the  illustration,  Figure  i,  is  better.  In 


ANVILS 


PLATE  1. 


this  the  top  is  circular  and  rotary,  which  is  an  advantage. 
A  pair  of  light  long  nose-tongs  are  needed  to  handle  the 
work.  Any  ordinary  foot  bellows  and  blow-pipe  will  do. 
A  box,  Figure  2,  large  enough  to  hold  two  2-gallon 
stone  jars  and  about  half  a  bushel  of  sawdust,  is  needed. 
One  of  the  jars  is  for  water  hi  which  the  object  is  cooled 


FIGURE  4. 
md  bag  or  engravers  pad. 


after  being  annealed ;  the  other  is  for  pickle  which  is  used 
to  clean  the  work.  The  sawdust  is  used  to  dry  the  object 
after  it  has  been  dipped  hi  the  water. 

Plate  i  illustrates  forms  of  anvils  that  have  been  found 
most  useful. 

Plate  2  shows  a  variety  of  hammers  needed. 

Plate  3  shears  and  plyers. 

The  following  tools  are  also  necessary: 

Cutting    shears — straight    and    curved. 

Steel  square  12". 

Jeweler's  saw  frame.     Figure   3. 

Piercing  saws. 

Breast  drill  and  assortment  of  drills. 


16 


MAMMLRS 


PLATE  2. 


SHtAQS—PLYt&S 


18 


FIGURE  5. 
Chasing  tools  and  punches  for  embossing. 


FIGURE  6. 
Engraving  tools. 


Compasses. 

Calipers. 

Surface  gauge. 

Surface  plate. 

Assortment  of  files. 

Sand  bag  or  engraver's  pad.     Figure  4. 

Pitch  block. 

A  set  of  chasing  tools  and  punches.     Figure  5. 


FIGURE  7. 

A  set  of  engraving  tools.     Figure"^6. 

A  set  of  dapping  tools  and  dapping  die.     Figure  7. 

Flyers — flat  nose,  round  nose,  and  pointed. 

Cloth  and  felt  buffs. 

Borax  slate. 

Two  4-gallon  stone  crocks. 

Mortar  and  pestle  (Porcelain.) 

Mouth  blow-pipe. 

Bench  pins. 


20 


MATERIALS. 

Copper  is  the  material  best  suited  for  the  work  outlined 
in  this  book,  although  the  processes  as  described  may  be 
applied  to  brass  or  silver.  Brass  may  be  used  successfully 
hi  the  flat  work,  but  for  raised  work  copper  is  the  best 
material  for  the  beginner. 

Copper  is  obtainable  hi  different  thicknesses  and  hi 
various  grades  but  the  best  grade  should  be  used.  For 
most  of  the  work  from  18  to  24  gauge  is  used,  while  metal 
from  12  to  1 8  gauge  is  used  occasionally. 

Copper  wire  is  used  in  several  sizes  for  making  rivets. 

No.  22  and  28  iron  wire  is  indispensable  for  binding 
when  soldering. 

Easy  running  silver  solder  may  be  made  by  the  user, 
but  as  a  small  piece  will  solder  many  joints,  and  as  it  is 
not  practical  to  make  it  in  small  quantities,  it  is  better  to 
buy  it  ready  made  as  desired. 

Powdered  or  lump  borax  is  used  as  a  flux  hi  soldering. 
Charcoal  or  asbestos  blocks  are  used  when  soldering  small 
work. 

Cut-quick  and  rouge  are  used  for  polishing. 

Nitric  and  sulphuric  acids  are  used  to  clean  work. 

PICKLE. 

Pickle  is  a  trade  name  given  to  solutions  used  hi 
cleaning  work.  Different  proportions  of  acids  are  used 
according  to  the  work  to  be  cleaned.  For  copper  and 
silver  a  dilute  bath  of  sulphuric  acid  is  used  of  i  part  acid 
to  15  parts  of  water.  The  solution  may  be  used  cold  but 
when  used  hot  it  becomes  much  more  effective.  When  used 
hot  a  copper  dish  is  necessary.  The  object  being  placed 
in  the  dish  with  enough  pickle  to  cover  it,  it  is  then  placed 
over  a  gas  plate  and  allowed  to  come  to  boiling  heat.  The 
pickle  is  then  poured  off  and  the  object  rinsed  hi  clean 
water.  A  dilute  solution  of  nitric  acid  is  used  for  brass. 

21 


GAUGE. 

Gauge,  as  referred  to  in  this  book,  is  a  term  used  to 
denote  the  thickness  of  sheet  metal.  The  Standard  Wire 
Gauge  is  divided  in  guage  numbers  from  5  to  36;  and  is 
used  for  measuring  the  thickness  of  wire  and  sheet  metal. 
It  is  usually  a  plate  of  steel  having  round  its  edge  a  series 
of  notches  of  standard  openings. 


22 


Chapter  II. 
PROBLEMS. 


ESCUTCHEONS. 

Escutcheons  may  be  made  of  any  metal;  but  copper, 
brass,  and  iron  are  most  used.  The  size  and  shape  of  the 
escutcheon  are  determined  by  the  size  of  the  lock  and  the 
space  at  our  disposal.  The  outline  may  be  circular,  square 


or  rectangular,  or  it  may  be  modified  somewhat,  care  being 
taken  to  keep  it  in  harmony  with  its  surroundings. 

First  make  a  careful  drawing  of  the  design.  Take  a 
piece  of  metal  a  little  larger  than  the  drawing  calls  for,  and 
of  the  desired  gauge,  from  12  to  20  gauge  is  all  right  for 
such  an  exercise.  The  design  is  then  transferred  to  the 
metal  by  the  use  of  carbon  paper,  or  a  tracing  is  made  on 
rice  paper  from  the  drawing  and  pasted  on  the  metal.  Then 

23 


LSCUTChL°N5 


PLATE  5. 


take  a  metal  saw  (No.  2  or  3)  and  saw  about  the  design 
Figure  8,  8A.  To  saw  the  key  whole,  a  hole  must  be  drilled 
through  which  the  saw  can  be  placed  to  follow  the  line. 
Before  drilling  use  a  center  punch,  making  a  slight  depression 
as  a  start  for  the  drill.  After  the  sawing  is  completed,  a 


FIGURE  8  A. 

file  is  used  to  true  up  the  outline  and  to  smooth  the  edges. 
The  holes  for  the  nails  are  next  drilled.  After  using  a  little 
emery  paper  about  the  edges,  it  is  ready  to  finish. 

The  metal,  as  it  comes  from  the  rolling  mill,  is  perfectly 
smooth.  If,  in  this  piece  of  work,  it  is  desired  to  make  the 
surface  a  little  more  interesting,  it  may  be  done  by  taking 
any  hammer  with  a  smooth  domed  face  and  going  over  the 
surface.  This,  however,  should  be  done  before  sawing.  As 
the  hammering  stretches  the  metal  somewhat,  if  it  is  left 
till  after  the  sawing  is  done,  it  means  more  filing  to  get  the 
design  into  shape.  For  a  beginning  this  exercise  has  proved 
very  satisfactory,  as  it  gives  the  pupil  an  acquaintance  with 
the  metal  and  uses  but  a  small  piece  of  material. 

HINGE  TAILS. 

These  plates  represent  suggestive  designs  for  hinges  and 
may  be  given  among  first  exercises  in  sawing ;  when  so  used, 
they  should  be  treated  like  the  escutcheon  already  described. 

26 


nihGE,  TAILS 


HINGE:  TAILS 


& 

Q 


Q     <3 


0— - — oj 

Q 


PLATE  7. 


28 


hIMGE.  TAILS 


PLATE  8. 


2Q 


Chapter  III. 


DRAWER  AND  DOOR  PULLS. 

Pulls  generally  consist  of  two  parts,  the  handle  and 
the  plate  to  which  the  handle  is  fastened.  Some  pulls  are 
stationary  as  in  Figures  9,  10,  while  in  others  the  handle 
swings  from  either  one  or  two  points,  Figures  n,  12,  13.  In 
this  case  the  handle  may  be  made  by  taking  a  rod  as  great 


FIGURE  9. 


FIGURE  11. 


FIGURE  10. 


in  diameter  as  the  thickest  part  of  the  handle,  and  either 
drawing  it  out  by  hammering  or  filing  it  down  to  the  required 
taper.  After  it  is  tapered  to  the  required  size  as  at  Figure 


DRAW  PULLS 


PLATE  10. 


DDAW  PULLS 


PLATE  11. 

33 


34 


14,  it  is  then  bent  into  shape  according  to  the  design.  If 
the  handle  is  to  swing  from  one  or  two  points,  it  should  be 
fastened  by  any  one  of  the  following  methods. 

Method  i .     If  it  is  possible  to  have  the  handle  support  go 
through  the  drawer  or  door,  the  support  may  be  made  from  a 


FIGURE  12.  FIGURE  14. 

piece  of  square  rod  of  the  length  desired,  a  hole  being  drilled 
through  one  end,  the  size  needed,  as  at  Figure  15,  A.  A 
shoulder  is  then  made  by  filing  the  rod  down  to  the  size  of  the 
hole  in  the  plate.  In  making  the  shoulder  the  remainder  of 
the  rod  which  is  to  go  through  the  drawer  front  may  be  left 
square  or  filed  round;  as  the  hole  is  round  that  is  drilled 
to  receive  it,  this  last  is  the  better  way.  It  is  also  easier  to 


35 


fasten  it  on  the  inside  of  the  drawer  when  it  is  made  in  this 
way,  for  it  may  be  simply  headed  up  as  in  making  a  rivet, 
Figure  15  B,  or  a  thread  may  be  cut  and  a  nut  used,  Figure 
15  C,  D.  The  latter  method  is  better  where  taps  and  dies 
are  at  hand.  When  it  is  fastened  by  riveting,  a  circular  or 


square  piece  of  metal  called  a  washer,  Figure  15  E,  a  little 
larger  in  diameter  than  the  bolt,  with  a  hole  the  size  of  the 
bolt,  is  placed  next  to  the  drawer  front  on  the  inside ;  this 
makes  the  riveting  more  secure. 

Method  2.  Another  method  for  fastening  this  style  of 
a  handle  is  to  cut  a  slot  through  the  plate  about  jV  inch  wide 
and  length  called  for  by  the  design,  Figure  16  A.  Then 
take  a  strip  of  copper  in  length  7  times  the  diameter  of  the 
handle  end  and  as  wide  as  the  slot  in  the  plate  is  long, 
Figure  16  B.  This  is  then  bent  circular  a  little  larger  in 
diameter  than  the  end  of  handle  as  at  Figure  16  C,  and 
placed  in  the  slot  as  at  Figure  16  D,  and  clinched  on  the  back 

36 


of  the  plate  as  at  Figure  16  E.     The  plate  is  in  this  case 
fastened  to  the  drawer  or  door  by  nailing  or  riveting. 

Method  3.  When  it  is  desirable  to  make  the  plate  and 
handle  support  all  in  one  piece,  it  may  be  done  in  any  one  of 
three  ways.  First.  By  allowing  enough  metal  hi  the  center 


FIGURE  16. 


of  the  plate  to  form  the  handle  support  as  at  Figure  12. 
Second.  By  allowing  metal  at  the  top  of  the  plate  to  bend 
over  handle  as  at  Figure  n.  Third.  By  allowing  metal  at 
the  sides  to  be  turned  up  at  right  angles  to  the  plate  to  form 


37 


the  support  as  at  Figure  13.  In  this  case  holes  are  drilled  in 
the  side  pieces  and  a  rivet  is  put  through  from  one  side  to 
the  other  to  hold  the  handle.  For  this  one  the  handle  must 
be  either  bent  around  the  rivet  or  drilled  to  receive  the  rivet. 
In  all  three  of  these  cases  the  plate  is  fastened  to  the  door 
or  drawer  by  nailing  or  riveting. 

HINGES. 

Plate  13,  Various  outlines  of  the  same  hinge. 
Plate  14,  Hinges  of  sameoutline  with  interior  variations. 
x         Plates  15,  16,  17,  Butt  and  Strap  Hinges. 

In  a  hinge,  the  joint  is  the  important  feature.  The 
size  of  the  hinge,  the  strength  required,  and  the  decoration 
must  also  receive  attention.  After  these  have  been  deter- 
mined, a  drawing  should  be^made  giving  a  development  of  the 
joint.  Whatever  the  size  of  the  hinge,  the  following  princi- 
ple in  regard  to  the  joint  must  be  kept  hi  mind.  There 
must  be  alternating  projections  left  on  the  inner  ends  of 
each  leaf  of  the  hinge  to  fit  into  one  another  so  that  the 
pin  may  pass  through  them  and  allow  the  hinge  to  swing. 
The  method  of  making  these  projections  is  determined  by  the 
size  of  the  hinge. 

In  hinges  of  any  considerable  size,  the  projections  are 
left  attached  to  the  hinge  proper ;  hi  allowing  for  them  there 
will  be  an  even  number  on  one  leaf  and  an  odd  number  on 
the  other.  To  obtain  the  strength  desired,  the  width  of  the 
projections  on  one  leaf  should  equal  the  width  of  the 
projections  on  the  other  leaf.  This  applies  to  any  number 
of  projections.  Their  length  should  be  determined  by  the 
diameter  of  the  joint,  three  tunes  the  diameter  is  the 
approximate  length. 

In  making  small  hinges  the  projections  may  be  bent 
into  position  by  the  use  of  the  round  nose  plyers.  In 
larger  work  the  projection  is  fastened  in  the  vise  and 

38 


beginning  at  the  end  is  bent  around  the  pin  a  little  at  a 
time  using  the  raw-hide  mallet  to  work  it  into  shape. 

For  small  joints  or  hinges,  such  as  would  be  used  on  a 
match  box,  stamp  box,  bon-bon  bcx,  or  ink  pot,  the  joint 
should  be, made  of  small  tubing  as  described  on  page  100. 
This  tubing  is  sawed  into  the  required  lengths  and  soldered 
to  the  leaves  to  be  hinged.  The  parts  to  receive  the  joint 
are  sometimes  filed  out. 


39 


MINGtS 


o    o 


loO 


40 


HINGES 


HIM  GELS 


42 


MINGELS 


Chapter  IV. 

FINGER  PLATES. 

The  finger  plate  used  on  the  edge  of  a  door  to  receive 
the  wear  of  the  hand  serves  as  an  excellent  exercise  in 
sawing  and  filing.  The  design  is  transferred  to  the  metal 
by  use  of  carbon  paper.  The  sawing  is  done  as  in  the 
escutcheon.  The  surface  may  be  left  smooth  or  it  may 
be  gone  over  with  a  hammer  having  a  face  somewhat 
rounded.  If  the  design  calls  for  any  repousse  work,  it  is 
done  as  described  on  page  64. 


45 


PLATE    18. 


47 


PAD  CORNERS. 

Desk  pad  corners  while  not  difficult  to  make,  are  very 
useful  as  well  as  ornamental.  The  design  may  be  carried 
out  in  any  one  of  three  ways :  pierced,  embossed  or  enameled. 

In  making  the  pattern  for  the  pad  corner,  an  allowance 
must  be  made  for  the  thickness  of  the  pad,  as  at  A,  and  also 
for  laps  as  at  B,  that  are  to  go  under  the  pad  to  hold  the 
corners  in  place.  The  corner  may  be  riveted  to  the  pad  at 
the  back  or  the  laps  may  be  bent  in  such  a  way  as  to  clamp 
them  to  the  pad,  and  permit  of  their  removal  at  any  time. 

When  the  design  has  been  pierced  or  embossed,  the 
laps  can  be  bent  over  a  piece  of  metal  equal  in  thickness 
to  that  of  the  pad.  If  the  design  is  to  be  carried  out  in 
enamel,  all  bending  must  be  done  before  enameling  as  any 
expansion  or  contraction  of  the  metal  will  crack  the  enamel. 


48 


49 


BOX  CORNERS. 

Box  corners  serve  primarily  to  protect  the  corners  of  the 
box  and  to  increase  its  strength,  but  they  can  be  so  made 
that  they  give  character  to  the  box.  The  corner  should  be 
designed  to  suit  the  particular  box  or  chest  to  which  it  is  to 
be  applied.  The  method  of  making  a  box  corner  is  slightly 
different  from  those  previously  described.  After  the  design 
has  been  drawn,  a  pattern  made  from  it  in  heavy  paper 
will  be  found  helpful,  for  this  pattern  may  be  used  to  mark 
out  the  design  on  the  metal.  In  this  way  irregularities  in 
the  design  are  less  likely  to  occur  than  when  the  design  is 
transferred  with  the  carbon  paper  directly  to  the  metal. 
The  decoration  may  be  pierced  or  embossed,  according 
to  one's  choice.  After  the  sawing  or  embossing  has  been 
done,  it  should  be  filed  carefully  and  smoothed  up  with  fine 
emery  cloth  to  do  away  with  crude  and  sharp  edges. 

The  holes  for  the  rivets  are  then  drilled  and  the  burr 
that  is  made  by  drilling  is  removed  with  a  larger  drill.  The 
two  edges,  A  A.  Plate  21,  that  are  to  come  together  when  in 
place  on  the  box  should  be  beveled  a  little  so  that  they  will 
form  a  better  corner.  After  this  is  done,  the  sides  are  bent 
down  over  a  block  of  wood  or  metal  placed  in  the  vise. 
A  rawhide  hammer  should  be  used  to  avoid  marks  on  the 
face  of  the  corner.  In  this  as  in  other  work,  if  it  is  desired 
that  the  metal  have  a  hammered  surface,  the  effect  must 
be  given  before  the  design  is  cut  out. 

Suitable  rivets  are  next  made  as  described  on  page  98 
and  illustrated  on  page  99.  After  being  colored  or  polished 
the  corner  is  ready  to  be  applied  to  the  box. 


B°X   C0&MERS 


B°X  CPBMEBS 


0 


o  o 


52 


STAMP  BOXES. 

Stamp  boxes  may  be  made  in  various  ways,  three  of 
which  are  described  below: 

Box  No.  i  and  2,  Plate  23. 

On  a  piece  of  20  gauge  metal,  lay  out  or  draw  the  pattern 
as  shown  on  the  plate ;  first  with  pencil,  then  with  a  scratch 
awl  to  insure  permanency,  going  over  the  lines  lightly  on 


P'lGURE    18. 

the  metal.  By  the  use  of  a  saw  frame  and  a  No.  3  saw  the 
corners  of  the  square  are  cut  out. 

The  edges  that  form  the  corners  are  next  filed  up, 
keeping  all  edges  straight  and  at  right  angles;  after  this, 
the  edges  are  beveled  a  little,  forming  a  mitre  which, 
when  soldered,  makes  a  better  joint  than  otherwise. 

The  sides  are  next  bent  up  over  an  iron  block  placed  hi 
the  vise  as  at  Figure  18.  The  corners  should  be  brought 
well  together,  using  a  rawhide  hammer,  No.  i,  Plate  2. 

A  piece  of  iron  wire  about  No.  24  is  then  placed  around 
the  box  and  twisted  tight  enough  to  hold  the  corners  in 

53 


STAMP  B°X 

BOX     N«l. 


DESIGN     OM      c°VER. 


DO         ODD 
O 


0  O 

DO         ODD         OO 


B°X. 


:DD 

DQO 

OD! 

:D 

Di 

:o 

oi 

:DD 

aoo 

DDi 

°. 


oaa 


PATTERN      F-R 


DEPRESSION    MADE     BY 
PLACING  °M  PITCH  AND 
USING  T°»L    SHAPE  »P 
UNIT.         DBPRESSI°N 
FILLED    WITH    E.NAME.L 


DDD 


ODD 


PLATE  23. 

54 


place  while  being  soldered,  Figure  19.  Borax  and  solder 
are  next  applied  and  the  soldering  done  as  described  on  page 
63.  In  this  case,  however,  all  of  the  corners  should  be 
prepared  at  the  same  time  for  soldering.  If  but  one  comer 
is  prepared  and  soldered,  the  heat  necessary  for  soldering 
causes  the  copper  oxides  to  come  to  the  surface  at  the  other 
corners  which  must  be  removed  before  they  can  be  soldered. 
This  is  remedied  by  coating  with  borax  and  placing  the  solder 
at  all  corners  before  applying  any  heat. 


After  the  soldering  is  done  the  box  is  pickled.  Surplus 
solder  is  next  removed  by  filing.  The  box  is  again  placed 
over  the  iron  block  which  is  held  in  the  vise;  the  corners 
and  bottom  edges  are  squared  up,  using  the  round  end  of 
hammer  shown  at  No.  2,  Plate  2,  and  the  top  is  filed  off 
level.  This  completes  the  body  part  of  the  box. 

The  cover  is  made  in  the  same  way  as  the  box.  Much 
care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  pattern  carefully  and 
accurately  drawn  so  that  when  the  cover  is  finished  it  will 
fit  closely  to  the  body.  The  design,  if  there  is  any,  whether 
it  is  embossed  or  enamelled,  must  be  carried  out  before 
cutting  it  to  size. 

Box  No.  2,  although  of  different  proportion,  is  made 
in  the  same  way  as  No.  i. 

Box  No.  3,  Plate  24. 

Take  a  strip  of  metal  as  wide  as  the  required  depth 
of  the  box  and  as  long  as  the  sum  of  the  four  sides.  The 
length  of  each  side  is  measured  off  on  this  strip  and  a  line 

55 


STAMP  B°X 


SH'ULD  Bt  MADE. 
A  LITTLE.  LARGER. 
THAN  B°t>Y  «F 
B°X  T°  ALL«»W 


THIS  WHE-t 


LINES.       F-RMS     B°OY    "F 


PLATE   24. 


STAMP  B°X 

DESIGNS 


57 


scratched  at  right  angles  to  the  edge.  The  strip  is  then 
placed  over  a  block  of  metal  and,  with  a  rawhide  hammer 
bent  at  right  angles  at  scratched  lines,  making  three 
corners,  leaving  the  ends  to  meet  at  the  fourth  corner  where 
they  are  to  be  soldered.  These  ends  should  be  mitered  as  in 
Box  i,  before  soldering.  After  the  corner  has  been  soldered 
and  the  box  pickled,  it  is  again  placed  over  a  block  and  trued 
up  square.  Having  decided  which  is  to  be  the  top  and 
which  the  bottom  of  the  box,  file  the  bottom  edges  level  and 
at  right  angles  to  the  sides.  A  piece  of  metal  is  then  cut 
for  the  bottom  large  enough  to  allow  about  TV"  to  project 
on  all  four  sides. 

It  is  then  prepared  for  soldering  and  bound  together 
with  iron  wire,  Figure  20.  The  solder  should  be  cut  in 
small  pieces  and  placed  about  the  inside  edges.  In  soldering 
the  bottom,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  unsolder  the  corner. 
This  may  be  avoided  by  keeping  the  flame  away  from  the 
soldered  corner  until  the  rest  of  the  solder  has  run,  applying 
it  to  the  corner  at  the  last  and  only  for  a  fraction  of  a 
minute. 

After  the  soldering,  the  box  is  pickled  and  the  edges  of 
the  bottom  filed  square.  The  TV"  that  was  allowed  to  project 
may  be  filed  flush  with  the  sides  of  the  box  or  left  to 
project  a  little. 

The  cover  is  made  by  taking  a  strip  of  metal  about  iV 
wide  and  long  enough  to  fit  around  the  inside  of  the  box. 
The  length  of  the  sides  (inside  measurement)  is  laid  out 
and  then  bent  over  a  block  as  previously  described.  The 
corner  is  soldered  and  the  upper  edges  are  filed  off  level 
and  soldered  to  a  piece  of  metal,  forming  the  top.  This 
strip  on  the  inside  keeps  the  cover  in  place.  If  the  design 
on  the  cover  is  to  be  carried  out  in  enamel  it  should  be 
done  after  the  cover  is  completed.  If  the  design  is  to  be 
embossed,  it  should  be  done  before  the  strip  which  holds 
the  cover  hi  place  is  soldered  on. 

58 


Box  No.  4,  Plate  24. 

The  body  of  this  box  may  be  made  like  either  No.  i 
or  No.  3.  An  addition  is  shown  on  this  one  which  allows 
the  stamp  to  be  taken  from  the  box  more  easily.  A  strip 
of  20  gauge  metal  iV"  wide  is  soldered  on  the  inside  next 
to  the  top  edge  extending  from  one  end  to  the  other  as 
shown  in  the  section  at  D.  Another  piece  of  the  same  gauge 
metal  is  cut,  in  length  equal  to  the  inside  length  of  the  box 
and  about  \"  wider  than  the  box.  This  is  placed  inside 
the  box  and  sprung  into  place  as  shown  at  C  in  the  section. 
This  device  may  be  applied  to  either  of  the  other  boxes. 

The  cover  of  this  box  is  made  of  but  one  piece  and 
hinged  with  a  strap  hinge,  which  also  forms  the  cover 
decoration. 

To  give  the  surface  of  the  metal  of  this  box  a  bold 
hammered  surface  adds  much  to  its  attractiveness. 

MATCH  BOX. 

The  Match  Box  may  be  made  in  the  same  way  as  the 
Stamp  Box  with  the  exception  of  the  cover.  It  seems  better 
to  have  the  cover  of  the  match  box  hinged.  The  hinge 
may  be  made  so  as  to  form  a  part  of  the  decoration  of  the 
cover  by  making  it  a  strap  hinge  as  shown  at  Plates  15,  16, 
17.  The  hinge  may  also  be  made  of  tubing  and  extend 
across  the  back  of  the  box.  This  method  leaves  the  cover 
to  be  decorated  in  some  other  way,  either  by  embossing  or 
by  enameling  or  by  both. 


60 


MATCH   B°X 


61 


MATCH  B°X 
C°VER   DESIGNS 


62 


Chapter  V. 

SCONCE  A. 

The  pattern  for  this  sconce  as  shown  at  Plate  2gA  is 
transferred  to  the  metal  which  is  then  cut  out.  The  part 
which  serves  as  a  reflector  is  raised  by  placing  the  metal  face 
down  on  a  sand  bag,  or  on  pitch  and  with  the  pein  end  of  a 
chaser's  hammer  or  with  a  pointed  horn  hammer,  driving  the 
center  down  to  the  required  depth.  If  the  face  is  somewhat 
irregular,  it  can  be  trued  up  by  placing  it  on  a  block  of 
wood  and  going  over  it  with  a  rawhide  hammer. 

The  shelf  on  which  the  candle  socket  rests  is  formed 
by  bending  the  lower  part  of  the  sconce  at  right  angles  as 
shown  by  the  dotted  line.  The  projections  at  2,  3,  4,  Plate 
2QA,  when  bent  into  shape  as  shown  on  Plate  29  form  the 
supports  for  the  candle  socket.  The  projection  at  5  Plate 
2pA  when  bent  into  shape  serves  as  a  bracket  to  support  the 
shelf.  The  candle  socket  is  made  from  a  strip  of  metal  bent 
into  cylindrical  shape  with  the  ends  riveted  together.  When 
the  socket  has  been  riveted  and  holes  drilled  as  indicated,  the 
sconce  is  finished  according  to  taste  and  mounted  on  a  back 
of  wood  stained  to  harmonize  with  the  color  of  the  metal. 


SC°NCE.  A 


o  o  o 


-Ju 


M<»UNTEO 


64 


SC°MCE  A. 


7 


PATTERN 

FOR    sconce.  A 

18   °ti  ZO   &AU&E     ME.TAL.. 


PART     WHICH     SERVES 
AS       REFLECTOR    RAISED 
ON      PITCH    oft  SAND   BAG. 


BENT    AT 
RIGHT  Anat-ES 
ON    THIS    LINE 


PATTB.RN 
CANDLE    »«CKBT. 


PIATE  29  A. 


PLATE  30. 

66 


SCONCE  B. 

A  rectangular  piece  of  metal  is  cut  out  about  -i  inch 
larger  on  all  sides  than  the  design  calls  for  and  given  a 
hammered  surface  with  the  pein  end  of  a  large  hammer. 
After  the  design  has  been  transferred  to  the  back  of  the 
metal,  it  is  then  placed  on  pitch  face  down,  and  with  a 
suitable  tool  the  lines  are  sunk  at  A  and  B,  Plate  31,  about 
Ty,  as  shown  hi  the  section  at  C.  It  is  then  removed 
from  the  pitch  and,  after  cleaning,  is  put  over  a  sand  bag 
face  up,  and  with  a  rawhide  hammer,  the  part  that  is  to 
serve  as  a  reflector  is  concaved  a  little. 

The  candle  socket  is  made  like  the  pattern  as  shown  at 
D.  It  is  bent  cylindrical  in  shape  and  the  ends  are  riveted 
together,  then  the  laps  on  either  side  are  bent  nearly  at  right 
angles  and  serve  to  hold  the  socket  hi  place.  The  cup  is 
made  from  a  circular  piece  of  metal  hammered  into  a  slightly 
conical  shape,  E.  A  rod  the  length  required  is  bent  at  right 
angles  with  a  shoulder  left  at  each  end.  The  bracket  is 
made  next  like  the  pattern  F  and  bent  into  shape  as  at  G. 

When  all  the  parts  are  finished,  they  are  put  together. 
Place  the  rod  in  a  vise  with  the  short  end  up.  The  cup  is 
put  over  the  pin  at  H,  and  also  the  socket,  so  that  the  pin 
passes  through  the  holes  in  both  laps.  The  phi  is  then 
headed  up,  holding  all  securely  hi  place.  The  bracket  is 
next  riveted  to  the  back  at  K,  through  which  the  rod  is  put, 
the  pin  passing  through  the  back  is  headed  up  at  L.  After 
finishing,  the  sconce  may  be  mounted  on  a  wood  back. 


67 


SCONCE.    B. 


68 


PICTURE  FRAME. 

This  object  is  made  as  follows :  Take  a  piece  of  metal 
quite  a  little  larger  than  the  outline  of  the  frame  that  is 
to  be  made.  Draw  on  this  piece  of  metal  the  outline  of  the 
frame  and  also  the  extensions  which  are  folded  back  to  give 
the  thickness  necessary  for  the  reception  of  the  picture, 
glass,  and  back,  as  shown  at  B.  Have  the  side  opposite  to 
that  on  which  the  drawing  is  done  free  from  scratches  as  it  is 
to  serve  later  as  the  front.  Any  decoration  that  is  used 
must  be  of  the  simplest  sort.  This  decoration  may  be  pierced 
or  in  repousse.  The  frame  here  illustrated  and  the  plate  of 
designs  were  intended  for  repousse  as  more  satisfactory 
results  have  been  obtained  by  this  process.  After  the 
design  for  the  decoration  of  the  front  of  the  frame  has  been 
transferred  to  the  same  side  of  the  metal  as  the  outline, 
it  must  be  prepared  for  the  repousse  process.  This  is  done 
by  placing  it  on  a  pitch  pot.  The  pitch  is  softened  enough 
so  that  the  metal  will  stick  to  it.  After  placing  the  metal  on 
the  pitch,  work  a  little  of  the  pitch  over  the  edges  as  this 
will  hold  it  more  securely.  It  is  then  allowed  to  cool  or 
harden  before  working.  With  a  suitable  tool  and  hammer, 
after  the  pitch  is  hard,  follow  the  lines  which  make  up  the 
design  or  decorative  part  of  the  frame.  The  lines  should  be 
gone  over  lightly,  slowly,  and  carefully  at  first  until  the 
design  is  fairly  well  started ;  then  they  may  be  gone  over 
again,  sinking  them  a  little  deeper  each  time  until  they 
have  been  carried  deep  enough  to  give  the  design  the  required 
relief  on  the  face  of  the  frame.  For  this  part  of  the 
work  the  tool  should  not  be  used  as  a  punch,  driving  the 
metal  down  in  one  place  and  then  moving  it  to  another  and 
so  on,  but  it  should  be  kept  moving  all  the  time  and  should 
at  the  same  time  receive  a  repeated  number  of  light  blows 
from  the  hammer.  By  so  doing  the  face  of  the  work  will 
be  smooth,  otherwise  each  blow  from  the  hammer  will  show. 

69 


PICTURE.   FRAME 


PLATE   32. 


70 


If  there  is  doubt  as  to  the  depth  to  which  the  lines  should 
be  carried,  the  work  may  be  taken  off  the  pitch  occasionally, 
so  that  the  face  may  be  seen.  It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to 
reduce  relief  in  this  work,  therefore  it  is  better  to  go  carefully 
working  it  up  slowly.  After  the  repousse  part  of  the  frame 
is  done,  clean  it  with  kerosene  and  pickle. 

The  corners  may  then  be  cut  out  as  at  B,  filed  up 
square,  and  beveled  as  in  the  box.  The  sides  are  then 
bent  back  over  a  block  of  wood  or  metal,  bringing  the 
corners  well  together.  They  are  then  soldered.  A  metal 
saw  is  used  to  make  the  opening,  A,  the  edges  of  which 
are  then  filed  up  square. 

The  back  for  this  frame  is  made  in  the  same  way  as 
the  front  except  that  it  is  left  perfectly  plain.  This  should 
be  made  to  fit  inside  of  the  frame  tight  enough  so  that  no 
fastening  will  be  needed  to  hold  it  in  place. 

A  frame  of  this  size  and  kind  may  be  made  to  hang  or 
to  stand.  If  it  is  to  hang,  a  small  ring  may  be  made  and 
fastened  to  the  back  as  shown  at  C.  If  it  is  to  stand,  a 
support  of  some  kind  such  as  is  shown  at  D  is  needed.  This 
is  made  of  the  same  thickness  metal  as  the  frame  and  may 
be  made  in  many  outlines.  This  support  may  be  made  sta- 
tionary by  riveting  it  to  the  back,  or  hinged,  which  is  much 
better,  as  is  shown  at  E  and  F.  The  hinge  is  made  by 
taking  a  piece  of  about  f "  tubing  and  cutting  three  pieces, 
making  one  of  the  pieces  equal  in  width  to  the  other  two  and 
having  the  three  equal  in  width  to  the  top  of  the  support. 
The  two  short  pieces  are  soldered  to  the  back  and  the  long 
piece  to  the  support.  A  piece  of  wire  equal  in  diameter  to 
the  hole  in  the  tube  is  then  cut  and  put  in  place  which 
hinges  the  back  and  support  together. 

The  method  of  making  the  tubing  used  for  the  above 
is  described  on  page  100. 


PICTURE:  FRAME.  DESIGNS 


SOLDERING. 

A  piece  of  silver  solder,  a  slate  slab  such  as  is  ordinarily 
used  for  grinding  ink,  powdered  or  lump  borax,  and  a  soft 
hair  brush  of  some  sort  are  all  that  is  necessary  for  the 
process  of  soldering  in  addition  to  what  we  already  have. 

The  pieces  of  metal  that  are  to  be  soldered  must  be 
absolutely  free  from  all  foreign  matter.  To  insure  this  the 
joint  is  scraped  bright  with  some  sharpe-edged  tool.  Care 
must  be  taken  to  keep  the  fingers  away  from  the  joint  as 
any  moisture  or  greasy  substance  will  prevent  the  solder 
from  running.  The  best  results  are  obtained  only  by  being 
extremely  careful  as  to  cleanliness  throughout  the  process. 
Being  sure  that  the  slab  is  perfectly  clean,  a  little  water  is 
put  in  it  and  the  lump  of  borax  is  ground  around  until  the 
water  becomes  like  thin  cream.  If  powdered  borax  is 
used  a  block  of  wood  will  answer  as  a  pestle  to  grind  the 
borax  to  the  right  consistency. 

The  solder  may  be  obtained  any  gauge,  but  about  20 
answers  for  most  purposes.  After  cutting  the  solder  into 
pieces  about  yV  of  an  inch  long  and  about  the  same  width, 
drop  them  into  the  borax  that  has  been  ground  to  give  them 
a  coating  of  borax  and  to  remove  any  grease  that  may  have 
adhered  to  them.  Coat  the  surfaces  that  are  to  be  soldered 
with  the  borax  being  careful  to  get  no  more  borax  about 
than  is  necessary.  Put  the  parts  together  and  bind  them 
with  No.  24  iron  wire,  not  too  tightly.  The  pieces  of  solder 
are  then  lifted  with  the  brush  used  for  the  borax  or  with  a 
pair  of  tweezers  and  placed  next  to  the  edge  that  is  to  be 
soldered,  about  one  inch  apart.  The  object  is  then  placed 
on  the  annealing  tray,  which  answers  for  soldering  as  well, 
and  with  the  blow-pipe  it  is  heated,  very  slowly  at  first  until 
the  water  has  evaporated  and  the  borax  crystallized  and 
dissolved,  the  flame  may  then  be  applied  more  directly  and 
the  object  brought  to  a  soldering  heat.  If  the  heat  is  applied 

73 


too  quickly,  it  will  throw  off  the  solder;  and  if  heated 
hotter  than  necessary  it  is  liable  to  melt  or  burn  the  parts 
being  soldered,  so  the  process  demands  the  closest  attention 
from  the  start. 

The  object  is  then  pickled,  washed  in  clear  water  and 
dried  in  the  sawdust. 

If  the  above  directions  are  carefully  followed  good 
results  may  be  expected. 

REPOUSSE  OR  EMBOSSING. 

Repousse  or  embossing  involves  practically  the  same 
principle  as  modeling  in  clay  or  wax,  the  only  difference 
being  that  metal  is  used  as  the  material  and  that  different 
tools  are  employed.  In  this,  as  in  clay  or  wax  work,  it  is 
desirable  to  bring  certain  parts  of  a  design  into  relief ;  to  do 
this  with  metal  the  work  must  be  placed  on  a  substance 
which  will  give  some  resistance  and  yet  allow  each  blow 
of  the  hammer  or  tool  to  make  an  impression.  The  sub- 
stance commonly  used  for  this  purpose  has  the  following 
composition,  in  the  proportions  given : 

Black  pitch  i  Ib. 

Tallow  3  teaspoonfuls. 

Plaster  of  Paris          i  cup. 

The  pitch  is  put  in  some  kind  of  dish  (agate  is  good), 
placed  over  a  gas  plate,  and  melted.  The  tallow  is  then 
added  and  the  plaster  sprinkled  and  stirred  in,  the  whole 
being  well  mixed.  It  is  then  poured  into  the  pitch  pot,  or 
whatever  it  is  to  be  used  in.  When  used  in  hot  weather 
more  plaster  must  be  used.  A  pot,  hemispherical  in  shape, 
Figure  21,  made  of  cast  iron  about  i  inch  thick  is  generally 
used.  This,  when  placed  on  a  chaser's  pad  or  ring,  Figure  21 , 
may  be  turned  at  any  angle,  and  is  found  to  be  a  great 
convenience.  An  ordinary  7"  x  12"  baking  pan  of  iron 

74 


serves  the  purpose,  or  a  box  may  be  made   of  wood,   but 
of  course  this  is  not  so  durable. 

After  allowing  the  composition  to  cool  partly,  yet 
while  soft  enough  to  stick,  the  piece  of  work  that  is  to  be 
embossed  is  placed  on  it,  the  right  side  next  to  the  pitch. 
It  is  then  allowed  to  cool  still  more;  when  quite  hard  or 
when  it  is  difficult  to  make  an  impression  on  it  with  the 
thumb  nail,  it  is  ready  to  work  on.  The  design  is  next 
drawn  or  transferred  to  the  metal  by  the  use  of  carbon  paper 
and  then  scratched  on  with  a  scratch  awl  to  make  the 
drawing  more  permanent,  as  in  going  over  the  piece  of 
work  the  pencil  or  carbon  lines  are  easily  erased. 

The  tools  necessary  for  this  work  may  be  made  as 
needed  according  to  each  individual  design.  There  are  a 
few  general  ones  that  are  always  found  useful,  such  as 
those  shown  at  Figure  5.  Figure  22  shows  a  hammer 
generally  used  for  this  work. 


75 


Chapter  VI. 

RAISED   FORMS. 

The  first  exercise  in  raising  should  be  a  form  quite 
simple  in  outline,  Plate  34  A.  A  drawing  or  blue  print 
should  be  used  showing  the  shape  and  dimensions  and  this 
should  be  worked  to  as  closely  as  possible.  Next  select  a 
piece  of  copper  suitable  in  thickness  for  an  object  of  this 
size,  in  this  case  20  gauge.  The  metal  for  raising  must  be 
circular  in  shape  and  the  diameter  of  the  piece  needed  for 
this  bowl  determined  in  the  following  way: 

Take  a  piece  of  string,  place  it  on  the  drawing  or  blue 
print,  starting  in  the  center  of  the  base,  and  follow  the 
curve  as  indicated  at  A,  on  Plate  34.  This  will  give  the 
radius  needed  for  describing  the  circle,  which  is  5^".  The 
circle  is  then  cut  out  with  the  shears,  after  which  another 
circle  is  described  on  the  metal  for  the  base.  All  lines 
made  on  the  metal  should  be  made  quite  lightly. 

As  a  rule  the  copper  comes  from  the  rolling  mill  some- 
what hardened  so  the  next  thing  to  do  is  to  soften  it  by  a 
process  called  annealing. 

Place  upon  the  annealing  tray,  Figure  i,  the  circular 
piece  of  metal  already  cut,  and  apply  the  flame  from  the 
blow-pipe  upon  it  until  it  becomes  red  hot.  It  is  either 
allowed  to  cool  off  gradually  or  dipped  in  cold  water  and 
then  dried  in  the  sawdust. 

Select  an  anvil  the  shape  of  which  conforms  somewhat 
to  the  outline  of  the  bowl  and  also  to  the  curve  of  the  base. 
It  is  often  necessary  to  use  several  anvils  to  complete  an 
object,  but  a  little  experience  will  help  to  decide  which 
should  be  used  first.  The  No.  i  anvil  on  Plate  i  seems  to 
be  about  what  is  needed  for  this  particular  piece  of  work. 

The  anvil  is  placed  in  the  vise  and  the  metal  held  in 
the  left  hand  against  the  anvil  so  that  the  end  of  the  anvil 

77 


RAISED  F°RMS 


78 


FIGURE  23. 


comes  directly  under  the  circle  which  represents  the  base, 
as  shown  at  Figure  23.     With  a  raising  hammer,  No.  3  on 


Plate  2,  begin  hammering  with  light  blows  at  first,  following 
the  circle  closely  the  first  time  around  until  the  base  is  well 

79 


started.  This  operation  is  continued  at  each  turn  striking 
a  little  above  the  previous  blows  until  the  top  is  reached 
when  it  will  take  the  shape  as  shown  at  Figure  24.  Some- 
times a  horn  or  box-wood  mallet  is  used  to  start  a  piece 
of  work.  As  the  hammering  hardens  the  metal  it  is 
necessary  to  anneal  it  each  time  after  going  over  the 
surface.  After  this  is  done,  we  proceed  as  at  first  until 
the  required  form  is  obtained  as  called  for  by  the  drawing. 

Care  must  be  taken  not  to  stretch  the  metal  any  more 
than  can  be  helped  as  the  more  it  is  stretched  the  thinner 
it  becomes. 

The  surface  and  outline  of  the  bowl  left  by  the  raising 
hammer  is  quite  irregular  and  needs  to  be  trued  up  by  a 
process  called  planishing ;  for  this  a  No.  2  or  4  hammer,  Plate 
2,  with  a  polished  face  and  somewhat  broader  than  the 
raising  hammer  is  used.  By  going  over  the  surface  with 
this  hammer  all  irregularities  are  removed  leaving  a  refined 
curve  and  a  finished  surface. 

If  the  bottom  gets  a  little  out  of  shape  during  the  opera- 
tion of  raising,  it  can  be  easily  brought  back  again  by  using 
a  No.  2  stake,  Plate  i,  and  a  No.  5  hammer,  Plate  2. 

During  the  raising  process  the  top  edge  has  also  become 
very  irregular  and  must  now  be  trimmed  off  level.  Place 
the  bowl  on  some  level  surface  (a  surface  plate  will  give 
the  best  results)  and  with  the  point  in  the  surface  gauge 
describe  a  line  about  the  top  making  it  the  desired  height, 
Figure  25.  A  small  pair  of  shears  is  then  used  to  trim  off 
the  top  to  the  line,  after  which  a  file  is  used  to  finish  the 
edge,  leaving  it  perfectly  smooth.  A  piece  of  fine  emery 
cloth  may  be  used  at  the  last. 

The  principle  of  raising  as  here  described  applies  to 
forms  of  all  sorts  with  few  variations.  Where  a  form  is  to 
be  raised  with  the  top  edge  turned  in  as  at  B,  Plate  34,  an 
anvil  similar  to  the  outline  must  be  used.  In  raising  a 
form  like  C,  Plate  34,  the  sides  are  carried  up  as  shown  by 

80 


PLATE   35. 
8l 


the  dotted  lines  and  then  the  form  is  reversed  ard  the 
neck  part  drawn  in.  A  deep  form  is  raised  more  quickly 
if,  at  the  start,  the  metal  is  placed  on  a  crinkling  block 
and  the  edge  crinkled. 


In  all  raised  work  after  one  becomes  acquainted  with 
the  material,  it  will  be  found  that  the  metal  can  be  forced 
in  any  direction,  giving  thickness  at  the  bottom,  at  the  sides, 
or  at  the  rim,  as  is  necessary. 

After  raising  a  form  like  C,  Plate  34,  it  may  be  desired 
to  increase  the  diameter  a  little  at  o-o,  where  an  anvil 

82 


PLATE  36. 


cannot  be  used;  or,  if  the  form  is  satisfactory  it  may  be 
necessary  to  raise  certain  parts  of  it  to  carry  out  the  decora- 
tion called  for  by  the  design.  This  is  done  by  the  use  of 
the  snarling-iron,  made  as  illustrated  at  Figure  26,  which 
shows  the  general  outline  only,  as  the  ends  vary  in  form 


according  to  the  work  they  are  to  do.  One  arm  of  the  iron 
is  held  in  the  vise  as  at  Figure  27.  The  form  is  then  placed 
over  the  end  and  held  with  the  left  hand  while,  with  a 
hammer  in  the  right  hand,  the  iron  is  struck  quite  near 
the  end  in  the  vise  which  causes  the  other  end  to  rebound. 
This  serves  the  same  purpose  as  a  direct  blow  from  a  ham- 
mer, except  that  it  works  much  more  slowly. 


84 


PLATE  37. 

86 


Chapter  VII. 

PORRINGER. 

The  making  of  a  porringer  serves  as  a  very  interesting 
exercise ;  and  it  is  so  simple  in  form  that  it  can  be  raised  after 
very  little  experience.  A  suitable  handle  must  also  be 
designed,  sawed  out  and  soldered  to  the  body. 

After  the  bowl  has  been  raised  into  shape  according  to 
the  design,  the  top  is  cut  and  filed  off  level.  When  the 
handle  has  been  sawed  out  and  the  edges  trued  up,  it  is 
fitted  to  the  bowl  part.  Mark  on  the  edge  of  the  bowl  the 
place  where  the  handle  is  to  be  fitted  and  fit  it  at  that 


place.  The  edge  of  the  bowl  where  the  handle  is  to  be 
soldered  should  be  filed  or  scraped  bright  before  the  solder- 
ing process  is  begun. 

Invert  bowl  and  handle  and  lay  them  upon  a  level  block 
of  charcoal,  as  shown  at  Figure  28.  Four  or  five  wire  nails 
or  pieces  of  iron  wire  forced  into  the  charcoal  keep  the 
handle  and  bowl  together.  The  borax  is  applied  and  suffi- 
cient solder  to  make  a  good  joint.  Use  no  more  solder 

88 


P°RRiriGE&  HANDLES 


PLATE  40. 


than  is  necessary,  as  it  will  have  to  be  removed  by  filing 
and  the  less  filing  that  is  done  about  such  a  joint  the  better 
the  work  will  be.  After  the  exercise  has  cooled,  it  may  be 
pickled,  washed  and  dried. 

While  the  heat  is  being  applied  for  soldering,  the  bowl 
is  at  the  same  tune  annealed  and  becomes  so  soft  that  it 
is  easily  bent  out  of  shape.  The  bowl  of  course  must  be 
hardened  again;  this  is  done  by  placing  it  on  an  anvil 
that  conforms  to  the  outline  of  the  bowl  and  hammered 
lightly  over  the  surface.  The  handle  is  also  treated  in  the 
same  way. 

Any  necessary  filing  or  finishing  is  now  done  and  the 
porringer  is  ready  to  be  polished. 

If  we  choose,  the  handle  may  be  riveted  on,  or  it  may 
be  made  of  the  same  piece  as  the  bowl  by  allowing  enough 
metal  where  the  handle  is  to  be,  to  be  bent  back  when  the 
bowl  is  raised  into  shape. 


fl 

wsi 


PLATE  41. 


TRAYS  OR  PLATES. 

Trays  or  plates  may  be  made  by  working  the  bowl  part 
over  an  anvil  or  by  driving  it  into  a  sand  bag  until  the 
required  depth  is  obtained,  or  a  form  may  be  turned  out  of 
a  block  of  wood  and  the  metal  driven  into  it.  After  the 
bowl  part  has  been  shaped  it  may  be  placed  on  the  pitch 
block  and  the  outline  trued  up  with  a  chasing  tool.  The 
edge  of  the  tray  or  plate  may  be  decorated  either  by 
piercing,  embossing,  etching,  or  enameling. 


V 


93 


Chapter  VIII. 

INK  POT. 

This  exercise  is  carried  out  as  follows :  A  form  is  first 
raised  like  the  lower  part  of  the  pot  inverted,  which  is 
nothing  more  than  a  bowl  so  far.  A  hole  with  a  diameter 
a  little  less  than  the  diameter  of  the  ink  well  is  then  sawed 
with  a  piercing  saw  in  the  bottom  of  this  bowl,  as  at  A. 
After  this  a  circular  piece  of  metal  is  cut  equal  in  diameter 
to  the  top  of  this  bowl  plus  7  of  an  inch,  and  soldered  on 
G.  By  making  this  piece  7  inch  greater  than  the  diameter 


FIGURE  29.     Dapping  tools  in  use. 

of  the  bowl,  the  soldering  process  becomes  much  easier. 
After  the  soldering  is  finished,  the  projecting  edges  may  be 
filed  off  to  the  edge  of  the  bowl.  The  bowl  is  then  inverted 
so  that  it  rests  on  its  greatest  diameter  H,  and  it  becomes 
an  ink  pot. 

The  cover,  J,  is  made  by  taking  a  circular  piece  of  metal 
and  raising  the  sides  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  bowl  except 
that  the  design  calls  for  the  sides  at  right  angles  to  the 

94 


INK  POT 


TW«      or   THESE       SOLOEBBO      TOStTHEt 
FORM       KNOB      ON     C°VER 


0 


Rirte 

SOLDERED      ON    TO 
BASE     TO    HOLD    C"V[ 
IN    PLACE 


IMK     WELL     MAf 
BE.     OF     &LA3S  OR. 


c 


BOWL      RAISeO. 
HOL£     CUT     IN     BOTTOM 
WHEN     REVERSED     PORM&      BASE. 
OF      POT 


95 


base.  The  curve  is  obtained  by  placing  it  on  a  sand  bag 
and  driving  it  out  from  the  inside  to  the  required  height. 
From  a  strip  of  copper  20  gauge  and  ^V  inch  wide,  C, 
make  a  ring,  D,  equal  in  diameter  to  the  inside  of  the 
cover.  Solder  the  ends  of  the  ring  together  and,  after  shap- 
ing it  over  a  circular  stake,  fit  and  solder  it  to  the  base,  as 
shown  in  the  section  at  E. 

This  keeps  the  cover  in  place.  The  knob,  K,  on  the 
cover  is  made  of  two  hemispheres,  L,  by  use  of  the  dapping 
block  and  tools,  Figures  7  and  29.  The  two  pieces  are  soldered 
together,  filed  or  finished  about  the  joint,  and  soldered  to 
the  cover,  F.  After  dipping  the  different  parts  in  the  pickle, 
then  washing  them  in  clean  water,  and  doing  a  little  filing 
here  and  there  about  the  joints  to  remove  surplus  solder, 
the  ink  pot  is  ready  for  finishing.  This  may  be  done  by 
polishing,  bronzing,  or  oxidizing. 

The  ink  well  proper  should  be  made  so  that  it  may  be 
removed.  It  should  be  of  glass  or  some  other  material 
easily  cleansed. 


97 


IMK  P°T 


SEALING  WAX  SET. 

THE  WAX  POT. 

The  wax  pot  is  raised  into  shape  as  described  in 
Chapter  VI  on  raised  forms.  Instead  of  cutting  the  top  off 
level,  a  nose  is  formed  as  shown  at  A,  Plate  45,  which  will 
pour  well.  A  handle  is  designed,  sawed  out,  and  riveted 
on  at  the  position  indicated  at  B. 

THE  LAMP. 

The  body  of  the  lamp  is  made  by  raising  a  bowl  to 
conform  with  the  design;  after  cutting  a  hole  in  the  bottom 
it  is  inverted,  C,  and  the  bottom  is  soldered  on  at  D.  A 
shallow  cup  is  raised,  E,  a  hole  cut  in  the  bottom  to  allow 
for  the  lamp  proper,  and  soldered  to  the  body.  Legs  as 
shown  at  F,  and  held  together  by  a  strip,  H,  are  riveted  to 
the  side  of  the  body  at  G;  on  these  the  wax  pot  rests.  The 
lamp  proper  or  alcohol  well,  which  is  filled  with  asbestos,  is 
raised  with  the  edges  turned  out,  as  at  N,  which  hold  it  in 
place  as  shown  in  the  section  at  J.  The  part  at  K  serves  as 
a  burner  and  is  placed  loosely  in  the  cup,E,  allowing  its 
removal  at  any  time. 

SEAL. 

A  monogram,  letter  or  design  of  some  sort  must  first 
be  decided  on.  When  this  has  been  done,  the  design  is 
transferred  and  scratched  on  a  piece  of  22  or  24  gauge 
copper.  If  the  design  has  a  right  and  wrong  to  it,  the 
reverse  should  be  transferred  to  the  metal  so  that,  when 
stamped,  the  right  side  will  appear.  The  copper  is  then 
placed  on  the  pitch  and  when  cool  enough  to  work  upon, 
the  lines  are  followed  with  a  chasing  tool,  sinking  them  to 
the  required  depth.  Care  must  be  taken  to  avoid  sharp 
edges  or  any  undercutting,  if  the  seal  is  to  free  itself  easily 
from  the  wax.  A  handle  for  the  seal  may  be  made  of  wood 
as  shown  on  the  plate;  the  seal  is  cut  and  attached  as  shown 
at  Section  on  L.  M. 

99 


SEALIhG  WAX  SET 


100 


WATCH  FOB. 

There  are  many  ways  of  making  watch  fobs. 
A  very  simple  one  is  made  as  follows:  First 
make  a  drawing  of  the  fob  with  some  suitable 
pendant  as  at  A,  Plate  46.  The  pendant  design 
is  next  transferred  to  a  piece  of  12  gauge  copper, 
then  sawed  out  and  filed  into  shape.  This  must 
be  done  with  perhaps  more  care  than  on  larger 
work  as  it  is  to  be  more  closely  scrutinized. 

The  parts  °f  the  fob  must  ^e  made  to  conform 
with  the  width  of  the  ribbon  that  is  to  be  used. 
A  bar  must  be  made  for  the  top,  wide  enough 
for  the  ribbon  to  be  passed  through  and  fast- 
ened. This  bar  is  made  by  cutting  a  slot  hi 
a  piece  of  metal  of  the  same  gauge  as  the 
pendant,  or  by  bending  a  piece  of  wire  around  a  piece 
of  metal  about  -jV  of  an  inch  thick  and  the  width  of 
the  ribbon,  making  the  ends  meet  in  the  centre  of  one  of 
the  long  sides.  If  more  than  one  of  these  pieces  is  needed, 
the  wire  is  wound  around  the  metal  as  many  times  as  there 
are  pieces  required  and  sawed  apart.  The  ends  are  then  bent 
to  come  hi  line  with  each  other  and  soldered.  The  piece  is 
again  placed  over  the  metal  and,  with  a  rawhide  hammer, 
worked  into  shape.  The  links  that  connect  the  bar  and  the 
swivel  are  made  as  all  links  are  made.  Take  a  piece  of 
iron  or  steel  wire  the  size  required  and  also  a  piece  of  copper ; 
place  one  end  of  the  steel  wire  and  one  end  of  the  copper 
wire  in  a  vise  so  that  the  steel  wire  stands  vertical.  Then 
wind  the  copper  wire  around  the  steel  wire  spirally  with  as 
many  turns  as  there  are  links  required.  Now  take  it  out  of 
the  vise  and  slip  it  off  the  steel  wire,  which  leaves  it  in  the 
shape  of  a  spring.  Hold  it  with  the  thumb  and  forefinger 
of  the  left  hand  and,  resting  it  against  the  bench  pin,  saw 
the  links  off  with  a  fine  saw  one  at  a  tune  until  there  are  as 
many  as  needed. 


WATCH   F°BS 


PLATE    46. 
102 


PLATE  47. 
103 


One  of  these  links  is  soldered  to  the  bar  that 
holds  the  ribbon  and  one  to  the  top  of  the  pendant ; 
the  others  are  linked  together  to  form  the  short 
chain  at  the  top.  To  connect  the  pendant  to  the 
ribbon,  two  larger  links  are  needed  which  are  made 
in  the  same  way  as  the  small  ones.  All  the  links 
may  be  soldered  or  not.  The  links  that  are 
soldered  to  the  bar  and  to  the  pendant  should  be 
filed  flat  a  little  to  make  the  point  of  contact 
greater.  This  insures  a  more  secure  joint.  When 
soldering  such  small  pieces  the  charcoal  block 
is  indispensable,  for  depressions  are  easily  made 
in  it  where  necessary.  The  parts  are  placed  on  the  block 
in  position  and  a  small  mouth  blow-pipe  is  used ;  with  this 
the  flame  can  be  more  delicately  applied. 

When  the  different  parts  are  completed, 
they  are  pickled,  rinsed,  dried,  and  polished,  and 
then  put  together  with  the  ribbon. 

Fobs  are  sometimes  made  entirely  of  metal 
as  B,  Plate  46.  In  this  slots  are  sawed  in  three 
or  more  bars  of  metal  which  are  linked  together 
with  links  made  from  the  same  thickness  metal 
as  the  bars.  The  pendant  and  the  swivel  are 
also  connected  with  the  same  kind  of  links. 


104 


Chapter  IX. 

SPOONS,  SUGAR  TONGS  AND  TEA 
SCOOPS. 

These  exercises  are  easily  carried  out  after  a  little 
experience.  No  steps  are  taken  that  have  not  already  been 
described,  except  in  the  case  of  forming  the  bowl  of  the  spoon. 
This  is  done  by  taking  a  piece  of  lead  and  making  a  depres- 
sion in  it  the  size  and  shape  of  the  bowl  required.  A  piece 
of  hard  wood  is  shaped  on  the  end  grain  to  fit  the  depression 
made  in  the  lead.  The  metal  is  placed  over  the  depression 
and  the  wood  shape  placed  on  top  of  the  metal;  it  is  then 
driven  into  the  form  by  using  a  hammer.  This  will  give 
the  general  shape  of  the  bowl  which  may  be  trued  up  later 
by  sawing  and  filing. 


105 


SP°°MS 


8 


=OC 


106 


TEA   SC°°PS 


PLATE    49. 


107 


RIVETS. 

The  making  of  rivets  is  quite  important  as  it  is  impos- 
sible to  find  in  the  market  the  variety  in  size  and  shape  of 
head  that  each  piece  of  work  demands.  Where  rivets  with 
a  wire  \"  or  less  are  needed,  they  may  be  made  as  follows : 
Take  a  piece  of  iron  or  steel  A,  Plate  50,  thicker  than  the 
desired  length  of  the  rivet  and  drill  a  hole  through  it  having 
its  diameter  a  little  greater  than  the  wire  of  the  rivet.  Take 
a  piece  of  copper  wire  of  the  required  diameter  and 
about  £"  longer  than  the  thickness  of  the  iron.  Place  the 
wire  in  the  hole  and  the  iron  on  some  smooth  metal  surface, 
B.  With  a  hammer  make  a  burr  of  the  wire  that  projects 
above  the  iron.  Then  reverse  the  iron  and  drive  out  the 
rivets.  This  gives  what  is  shown  at  D.  The  rivet  is  then 
cut  off  the  required  length,  placed  in  position  and  headed  up. 
The  head  may  be  made  conical,  I,  hemispherical,  J,  pyra- 
midal, K,  or  square,  L,  in  shape.  It  may  be  headed  up  simply 
with  the  hammer,  or  with  a  rivet  header,  M. 

When  necessary,  the  process  may  be  reversed  and  the 
head  made  first ;  but  when  made  in  this  way,  a  rivet  block  is 
needed  to  rest  the  head  in  while  making  the  burr. 

The  rivet  may  be  made  more  of  a  decorative  feature 
by  sawing  out  of  sheet  metal  some  suitable  design  as  shown 
at  P,  Q,  R.  Drill  a  hole  in  the  center  the  size  of  the  rivet 
and  then  use  any  ordinary  rivet  head.  Nails  may  be  made 
by  the  same  process,  headed  and  pointed  as  at  S  and  0. 


1 08 


RIVETS 


109 


TO  DRAW  WIRE  AND  SMALL  TUBING. 

Cut  a  piece  of  copper  the  length  required,  having  the 
width  about  three  times  the  diameter  of  the  tube  that  is  to 
be  made.  The  edges  must  first  be  made  parallel  by  filing. 


B 

FIGURE  31. 

In  a  block  of  maple  or  some  hard  wood,  with  a  wood  file, 
make  a  groove  as  shown  at  Figure  30.     Place  the  strip  of 
metal  over  the  groove  and,  with  a  somewhat  pointed  ham- 
no 


mer,  drive  the  metal  into  it  until  it  takes  the  shape  of  a  V. 
Figure  31  A.  Then  place  it  on  the  flat  part  of  the  block  and 
strike  on  the  edges  with  the  hammer,  turning  them  in  until 
they  meet,  as  at  B  and  C. 

A  draw  plate  is  then  placed  in   the  vise,  Figure  32. 


After  pointing  the  tube  a  little,  the  end  is  placed  in  one  of 
the  larger  holes  and  drawn  through.  This  will  bring  it 
somewhat  into  shape.  Repeat  this  operation  by  drawing 
the  tube  through  the  hole  the  next  smaller  in  size  and  so  on 
till  the  tube  is  of  the  diameter  required. 

Wire  may  be  drawn  in  the  same  way.  Rectangular, 
triangular  and  square  drawplates  may  be  obtained  as  well 
as  circular  ones. 

POLISHING. 

To  polish  work,  a  cloth  or  felt  buff  is  placed  on  a  lathe 
or  a  polishing  head.  With  a  little  cut-quick  and  rouge 
objectsmay  be  brightened  by  holding  them  against  the  wheel. 

in 


STAMPING  WORK. 

The  marking  of  work  so  that  it  will  be  known  to  whom 
it  belongs  and  doing  it  in  a  neat  and  workmanlike  manner 
is  sometimes  a  problem.  Using  a  gummed  label  with  the 
name  written  on  it  has  been  tried,  but  the  labels  frequently 
come  off.  The  name  has  been  scratched  with  a  sharp-pointed 
tool,  but  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  do  and  certainly  does  not 


v 


ooo 


FIGURE  33. 

look  well.  The  way  described  below  however  has  proved 
very  satisfactory.  Have  each  pupil  design  a  little  trade  mark 
of  his  own,  and  work  it  out  on  the  end  of  a  piece  of  tool 
steel,  |  inch  or  W  inch  square,  round  or  hexagonal.  This 
can  be  done  by  a  little  filing,  perhaps  the  use  of  a  drill  if  the 
design  should  call  for  it,  and  a  little  emery  paper  to  take  off 


112 


all  sharp  edges.  This  serves  as  a  stamp  with  which  he  may 
mark  all  of  his  work.  The  instructor  has  a  book  with  the 
names  of  the  pupils,  and  after  each  name  he  may  stamp 
this  mark  and  thereby  register  it  so  that  he  may  tell  at 
any  time  to  whom  work  belongs. 

Figure  33  shows  a  stamp  and  a  few  suitable  designs. 

COLORING. 

The  most  satisfactory  color  that  can  be  given  copper 
is  a  bronze  which  comes  naturally  if  left  to  come  in  contact 
with  varying  atmospheres.  If  the  object  has  a  good 
polished  surface  in  the  first  place  the  color  seems  to  become 
richer  as  time  goes  on. 

A  color  that  is  satisfactory  in  many  cases  is  obtained 
in  the  following  way: 

Place  in  a  porcelain  dish  and  bring  to  a  boiling  heat, 
liver  of  sulphur,  i  oz.,  and  water,  i  qt.  Dip  the  object 
to  be  colored  in  this  solution  while  hot  and  then  rinse  in 
clean  water.  This  gives  the  object  a  very  dark  color. 
Take  a  little  powdered  pumice  stone  on  a  piece  of  cloth 
and  rub  over  the  surface  lightly  bringing  the  copper  color 
to  the  surface  where  desired. 

A  greenish  color  is  given  copper  by  submitting  the 
object  to  the  fumes  of  spirits  of  ammonia. 

Beautiful  colors  are  obtained  by  heating  the  object  to 
different  degrees,  over  a  gas  plate,  but  these  results  are 
not  permanent. 


Chapter  X. 

ENAMELING. 

Enamel  may  be  applied  to  metal  objects  and  add  a 
great  deal  to  their  value  and  attractiveness  if  used  sparingly. 
The  enamels  most  used  are  transparent  and  opaque;  the 
transparent  reflects  the  color  of  the  metal  adding  a  great 
deal  of  life  to  the  work,  the  opaque  gives  color  on  the  sur- 
face only. 

The  process,  as  described  in  this  chapter,  touches  but 
the  elementary  stages  of  the  art  that  are  within  the  possi- 
bilities of  high  school  work  and  possibly  the  upper  grammar 
grades. 

Enamel  may  be  applied  by  any  of  the  following 
methods : 

First:  By  covering  the  entire  surface  of  the  object 
with  enamel. 

Second:  By  using  a  flat  wire  which  is  bent  into  sec- 
tions the  shape  of  the  design  and  soldered  to  the  object; 
the  wire  forms  partitions  to  receive  the  enamel. 

Third:  By  cutting  away  the  design  by  the  use  of 
engraving  tools,  making  channels  about  •%%  of  an  inch 
deep  to  receive  the  enamel. 

Fourth :  By  using  a  chasing  tool  either  from  the  front 
or  from  the  back  of  the  work,  forming  raised  or  sunken 
partitions  to  receive  the  enamel. 

The  first  and  second  methods  are  difficult  ones,  requir- 
ing a  great  deal  of  experience  in  handling  metal  and  enamel 
to  obtain  satisfactory  results. 

The  third  and  fourth  methods  are  comparatively  simple 
and  are  within  the  possibilities  of  those  for  whom  this 
book  is  intended. 

In  the  third  method  the  design  is  first  transferred  to 
the  object  by  the  use  of  carbon  paper  and  then  made  more 

114 


permanent  with  a  scratcher.  The  design  is  cut  out  with 
the  engraving  tools,  Figures  6,  34  and  35,  about  ^  of 
an  inch  deep.  All  edges  should  be  kept  as  smooth  as  possi- 
ble and  the  channels  should  be  uniform  in  depth.  For 
convenience  in  holding,  if  the  work  is  small,  it  may  be 
fastened  to  a  little  pitch  or  wax  spread  on  a  block,  or  it  may 


be  placed  on  the  pitch  block  as  described  under  embossing 
on  page  64.  The  handle  of  the  tool  is  held  hi  the  palm  of 
the  hand,  and  the  thumb,  placed  within  an  inch  of  the  point, 
serves  as  a  guide  while  cutting,  Figures  34  and  35.  By 
wriggling  the  tool  a  little  from  one  side  to  the  other, 
greater  progress  is  possible. 

In  the  fourth  method  the  design  is  transferred  to  either  side 

of  the  object.     After  placing  it  on  a  pitch  block,  depressions 

may  be  made  from  the  face  or  lines  raised  from  the  under  side. 

After  the  partitions  have  been  formed,  the  object  must 

be  thoroughly  cleaned  and  brightened  by  dipping  in  a  bath 


of  nitric  acid.  After  dipping,  which  should  be  done  quickly 
on  account  of  the  rapid  action  of  the  acid  on  the  metal,  it 
should  be  rinsed  thoroughly  in  clean  water.  This  process 
removes  all  dirt  and  leaves  the  metal  bright.  After  this 
cleaning,  the  fingers  should  not  touch  any  part  of  the  object 
that  is  to  receive  the  enamel. 

To  prepare  the  enamel  for  application  it  must  be  ground. 
First  break  it  into  small  pieces  with  a  hammer.  To  keep 
it  from  flying  about,  it  is  well  to  roll  it  up  in  a  piece  of  heavy 
wrapping  paper.  It  is  then  placed  in  a  porclain  mortar  and, 
with  a  little  water  and  a  pestle,  it  is  ground  about  as  fine 
as  fine  sand.  The  water  is  poured  off  and  the  enamel 
rinsed  several  times  in  clean  water  until  the  milky  sub- 
stance disappears.  Unsatisfactory  results  often  come  from 
lack  of  care  in  washing  the  enamel.  After  washing  it  is 
removed  from  the  mortar  to  a  small  saucer  by  the  use  of 
a  palette  knife.  While  still  wet,  which  allows  its  being 
spread  more  easily,  the  enamel  is  applied  to  the  object  with 
a  soft  hair  brush. 

All  of  the  enameling  suggested  in  this  book  may  be 
done  with  an  ordinary  blow-pipe  or  a  Bunsen  burner,  but 
more  satisfactory  results  are  obtained  with  a  kiln. 

To  apply  the  process  to  a  definite  piece  of  work,  the 
steps  necessary  in  enameling  the  Stamp  Box  cover  on  Plate 
24,  No.  3,  will  be  taken  up.  It  will  be  assumed  that  the  box 
is  made,  ready  for  the  application  of  the  design  as  shown 
on  the  plate.  The  design  is  first  transferred  to  the  cover 
and  then  cut  away.  It  is  cleaned  with  kerosene  and  dipped 
in  nitric  acid  as  before  explained.  After  being  thoroughly 
washed,  it  is  ready  for  the  enamel.  In  applying  the  enamel 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  get  particles  outside  of  the  chan- 
nels. After  the  moisture  has  evaporated  and  the  enamel 
has  been  fired  it  settles  considerably  so  that  this  must  be 
allowed  for  by  rounding  it  above  the  surface.  After  the 
enamel  has  been  applied,  the  strip  that  is  soldered  to  the 

116 


under  side  of  the  cover  must  be  protected  from  the  heat 
before  firing,  as  the  temperature  required  for  fusing  the 
enamel  is  several  times  greater  than  that  required  for 
soldering.  The  soldering  is  protected  by  placing  a  paste 
made  of  yellow  ochre  and  water  about  the  soldered  joint 


both  inside  and  outside  of  the  strip.  The  more  of  this  clay 
we  bank  about  the  joint  the  more  protection  there  is.  When 
the  above  has  been  done,  the  object  must  be  left  in  some 
warm  place  until  the  moisture  from  both  the  enamel  and  the 
clay  is  thoroughly  evaporated.  It  is  then  ready  for  firing. 
If  the  blow-pipe  or  the  Bunsen  burner  is  used,  take  a  tripod 
and  place  a  piece  of  heavy  iron  netting  over  the  top  and 


117 


place  the  object  on  top  of  the  netting.  The  flame  should 
always  be  applied  to  the  under  side.  Watch  the  enamel 
as  the  firing  goes  on  and  when  it  settles  and  glazes  the  heat 
should  be  withdrawn.  The  object  should  be  allowed  to 
cool  very  slowly.  Hurrying  at  this  point  only  increases 
chances  for  accidents.  If,  when  cool,  it  is  found  that  the 
channels  in  places  are  not  full  of  enamel,  the  object  is  again 
cleaned  in  the  nitric  acid,  more  enamel  applied,  and  fired 
as  at  first.  The  cover  is  now  ready  to  finish.  The  enamel 
may  be  stoned  down  level  with  the  top  with  an  emery 
stone,  or  it  may  be  left  just  as  it  comes  from  the  fire  in  the 
first  place.  If  stoned  down,  it  is  necessary  to  fire  it  again 
just  enough  to  give  it  a  glazed  surface. 

The  directions  as  given  apply  to  either  transparent  or 
opaque  enamel;  but,  in  addition  to  the  above,  when  trans- 
parent enamel  is  used,  the  surface  to  be  enameled  must 
first  receive  a  coating  of  flux  to  retain  the  transparency. 
The  flux  is  treated  and  applied  just  the  same  as  the  enamel 
already  described. 

The  upper  half  of  Plate  26  shows  boxes  treated  with 
enamel. 


118 


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